After your house design plans are approved, you need to make a diagram to lay out your land.
What exactly do you want including the house, what direction to face the house and where exactly you want to build those things on your land? Do you want to dig a pond?
For the house, understanding where the sun rises and sets is very important so that you can face the house, where the sun’s heat will be minimized. Roof extensions can be designed into the house plan to minimize the sun’s exposure.
You will need to plan where to drill your water well although this is determined by where the well driller can find water.
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The main issue here is, where they find water may not be anywhere remotely close to where you wanted the well and pvc will have to be run and buried in the ground.
The water storage tanks will require a stand to be built and the location of the water tanks should be near the house. If you are using a large electrical water pump, the tanks will NOT need to be raised.
This is the water pump we selected (17,000 thb)
In this case, lots of PVC will need to be run to get the main well water to the house.
You will also need water spickets where you can get water outside for the plants, trees, lawn, garden etc. Place your water spickets where you need them, so you don’t end up having to drag a lot of hose around each time.
BE ADVISED THE BUILDERS WILL NEED WATER TO MIX CEMENT! PLAN ON DRILLING THE WELL BEFORE CONSTRUCTION STARTS.
Blue PVC does not do well in the high UV and will need to be buried.
Will there be a garden? Fruit trees? Landscaping?
Those all need to be located on your diagram.
Any other out buildings? Garage, shop, gazebo?
For our land, we have the main house, a garage, a separate outside bathroom, a water filtration building, (3) solar wells, multiple fruit trees, and large vegetable gardens.
Everything needs to be accounted for on your diagram before you start working.
Do you need to pour a concrete driveway?
Fence around the property? With a gate?
It is best to try to visualize exactly what you want and where it will need to be located on your land before you start work.
While the main builders start on the house, you can start to complete the other things on your diagram at the same time.
This will help insure you don’t have to rip things up and move them around later.
A well thought out diagram will save you time and money.
When you purchased the land, you should have asked if electricity is available to be run to your land?
The builders will require electricity for their tools, lights, etc.
You will need to contact the PEA (Electrical Authority) to have power poles installed, power wires run and a construction electrical panel box installed. There is a cost for this.
We ended up having to purchase (2) 8m poles, runs the wires and have the box installed at a cost of around 25,000 thb. (Cost is determined by how many poles you have to purchase and how far the wiring needs to be run).
If you are NOT near any current electric power, it may not be available, in which case you would have to buy a complete solar system.
While we were waiting for PEA installation, we did purchase a large Honda gas generator to be able to power electrical tools to get them started. This cost around 40,000 thb.
TIPS:
- Have the well driller come out early on, so that you can understand what location you have available for the well. Plan everything from there and have a backup plan in the event water is NOT found at the primary location and if they have to drill a second time in a secondary location. THE BUILDERS WILL NEED WATER TO MIX CEMENT!
- Do NOT plant in the hottest time of the year which is in the end of March and all through April. Wait for the rainy season to start.
- Depending on whether or not you had to fill your land, there could be an issue with the concrete and other large trucks sinking into the land. You might find out that you will need to keep trucking in more fill dirt until the ground is solid. STRONGLY suggest a compactor tractor, even if the ground has been filled months/years previously.
- Understand your watering requirements and get the pvc run for those and buried.
- Contact PEA (Electrical Authority) to get any power poles, electric lines and construction electricity supplied to your land. The builders will need electricity.